Well, that can't be good (Tooth Thead)

ANTVGM64

So, long story short, he back bottom bit of my left front tooth just seperate from the rest of it and went down with the food I was eating. So now there's a little hole in the back of my tooth.


Obviously a dentist is a good idea. Here's what I hate. Dentists.



Bad expierences, and so on and so forth. Anyway, I was curious about Sedation Dentistry. I imagine I'm going to need a bunch of work if my teeth just sort of fall apart on their own now, (though oddly they don't look that bad) but truly, desperately, hate the dentist. hate the smell, hate the chair, hate everything Irrational fear maybe, but ideally I'd just like to be knocked out cold and have a buncha work done, then wake up and deal with the pain at home playing Madden or something.


Is this possible? Any recomendations for a sedation dentist person in the Chicago or Southern Massachusetts area?

NotYou

The reason doctors and dentists don't like to knock people out when they don't have to is because doing that carries small risks that can easily be avoided by not doing it.

Go to a dentist. Deal with it. I once sat in a chair for 5 hours as my teeth were drilled and filled. Really wasn't fun. It's not going to be fun for you I'm sure either. Just prepare yourself to be miserable for a little while in exchange for your teeth not all falling out.

Dark Moon

Just to reiterate: You absolutely need to go to the dentist for this, sooner rather than later. If the pulp cavity in your tooth is exposed it is ripe for nasty infections, and if a nerve becomes exposed you will be in for a very big world of pain. When you go, there is a good chance they won't put you under general anesthetic, as it is expensive (requires an anesthesiologist to administer the anesthetic) and risky (you never put someone under general unless absolutely necessary). Google brings up a bunch of frightening looking pages advertising for "sedation dentists", so such a beast may exist, but anesthesiologists do not come cheap and their insurance costs must be truly terrifying - meaning the cost of going to such a place may be prohibitively large. If you do go to a "regular" dentist, they'll definitely locally anesthetize any areas they're working on, which is good enough to remove all but the tiniest bit of deep pressure sensation in the area. I'm not a dentist, but the best case will probably involve a crown, so prepare yourself for a good size investment in your smile.

The_Glad_Hatter

going too early beats the hell out of going too late.
The fact that you can see the cavity could mean that it's already pretty big on the inside.

I used to be terrified of the dentist, but i just went after telling myself to quit whining. it's all quite allright.. No one loves it, everybody does it.

Chance

I'll spare you my own personal horror story of not going to a dentist and the evil that choice wrought, and simply suggest you read the three posts above mine a few more times.

For they are full of truth.

Hahnsoo1

If a bit of your tooth fell out, then often it's just a cement job (either the original piece or a substitute). No pain, no drilling. The longer you wait, the worse it will get.

Rent

Chance wrote: »

I'll spare you my own personal horror story of not going to a dentist and the evil that choice wrought, and simply suggest you read the three posts above mine a few more times.

For they are full of truth.

Now you basically have to tell it, either here or in strange and embarassing/strange and disturbing stories threads in D and D

ProPatriaMori

I believe I'm right in saying that this exposed pulp and such is a dental emergency (risk of infection). As in: call now, and get something set up. Don't make an appointment for a month from now.

As for the sedation, possible yes, whether it's worth it is up to you. Last time I got nitrous'd (root canal) I ended up clenching my jaw or something and caused myself an enormous amount of pain, but that was something of a freak occurence.

Chance

Spoiler'd for off-topicness.

Rent wrote: »

Chance wrote: »

I'll spare you my own personal horror story of not going to a dentist and the evil that choice wrought, and simply suggest you read the three posts above mine a few more times.

For they are full of truth.

Now you basically have to tell it, either here or in strange and embarassing/strange and disturbing stories threads in D and D

Nevah! Nice sig, sexy!

Rent

Chance wrote: »

Spoiler'd for off-topicness.

Rent wrote: »

Chance wrote: »

I'll spare you my own personal horror story of not going to a dentist and the evil that choice wrought, and simply suggest you read the three posts above mine a few more times.

For they are full of truth.

Now you basically have to tell it, either here or in strange and embarassing/strange and disturbing stories threads in D and D

Nevah! Nice sig, sexy!

You remind me of a seagull

Lindsay Lohan

Well, I can tell you the exact same thing happened to me about 6 years ago - lost a big chunk off the back of my tooth (one of the teeth way in the back). It KILLED me to go to a dentist - I had a horrible one during my early teen years who has totally fucked me over and given me intense fear of dentists.

That said, it was very anticlimactic- one shot of Novocaine and a few yanks and the tooth was out. I followed their instructions to avoid dry socket and all was well. Of course, now I've got the same issue on the other side and I'm being a total chicken shit about this one since it doesn't hurt (yet).

But really, for me at least the fear was 100x worse than the appointment.

ANTVGM64

I had a horrible one during my early teen years who has totally fucked me over and given me intense fear of dentists.

This. This entirely.

EggyToast

Dentists make your teeth better. By avoiding them, you make your teeth worse, meaning that when you DO end up forced to go, it's a lot worse.

It's not much different than any preventative care. Get thee to a dentist, and start going regularly after this point.

Fendall

Teeth don't get better by themselves, it doesn't matter how much you brush or just wish it goes away. You will need to go to the dentist eventually, so go sooner rather than later. Tell your dentist you have a phobia, I'm sure they get it all the time. After all you're not the only one to hate dentists.

Personally, when hes doing the filling/injection I just close my eyes and calculate primes or powers of two. Keeps your mind occupied.

rfalias

I used to hate the dentist, but I got used to it having gone so many times as a kid and having like a metric shit ton of teeth pulled. I was freaked the first time I got jabbed in the mouth with a novacaine needle but I get used to it. Just go, its for the better.

CelestialBadger

Lindsey Lohan wrote: »

That said, it was very anticlimactic- one shot of Novocaine and a few yanks and the tooth was out. I followed their instructions to avoid dry socket and all was well. Of course, now I've got the same issue on the other side and I'm being a total chicken shit about this one since it doesn't hurt (yet).

But really, for me at least the fear was 100x worse than the appointment.

In that case, if you go now, maybe you can get away with a filling rather than losing the whole tooth!